This invention relates in general to the field of awnings and more particularly to a retractable awning and method.
Awnings provide much needed protection from the weather and elements and are commonly found on many structures and vehicles such as house trailers, recreational vehicles (xe2x80x9cRVsxe2x80x9d), porches, patios, and decks. The protection that an awning provides, such as shade and protection from rain and wind, greatly enhances the overall enjoyment of such structures and vehicles by substantially increasing the comfort of the surrounding environment across a wide range of weather conditions and elements. Awnings significantly increase the amount of time that such structures and vehicles may be used and enjoyed.
Awnings that can be extended for use and retracted for storage are especially useful for house trailers and RV""s where the awning needs to be stored before the vehicles moves. Various designs for such stow-away awnings have been created that will fit on the side of a house trailer, RV, or virtually any other structure to provide cover when opened, and also store compactly and securely when retracted. The most common design uses a roller tube around which the awning is wrapped when not in use. Typical designs are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,510, issued to Hayward, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,121, issued to McKee.
A problem with these designs results from the absence of medial struts or rafters, which might interfere with the process of rolling the awning on the roller tube. Roller tubes tend to be rather long, and if the tube bends, the awning may sag, forming pockets for the collection of puddles of rain water, or which may flap and be buffeted by winds, causing noise and accelerated fabric wear.
The present inventor has previously addressed these problems in his prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,393 (the ""393 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,032 (the ""032 patent), which are hereby incorporated by reference. The ""393 patent teaches a plurality of bowed ribs extending transversely between the roller tube and the wall of the trailer or RV, stretching and supporting the awning and imparting a slight arch to the awning. The ""032 patent is similar, but whereas the adjustable ribs of the ""393 patent are flexible ribs bowed by compression, the ""032 patent teaches adjustable ribs made from rigid, curved elements used with a rigid, bowed housing.
Although the adjustable, bowed ribs of the ""393 and ""032 patents represent an advance in the art, problems with convenience in use of awnings and storage of awnings are still present. As currently known in the art, the adjustable ribs must be removed from their supports underneath the awning and stored separately, usually at a location inside the trailer or RV selected by the user. Since storage space in house trailers and RVs is usually at a premium, it often proves difficult to find a storage location, or it may prove unduly burdensome or inconvenient to have to enter and re-enter the house trailer or RV to remove the ribs from storage for use and replace them in storage after use.
Thus, although awnings that can be extended for use and retracted for storage are especially beneficial and provide many significant advantages, these awnings still suffer from certain problems and inconveniences. Many awnings are difficult and cumbersome to setup and assemble, and even more troublesome to take down and store. As mentioned above storage of awning parts and components when an awning is retracted and not in use can be problematic. For example, removable awning ribs or bows must be taken down and stored separately when the awning is retracted and in a stored state. In addition to the obvious problems of not being able to keep track of the various awning parts and components, storage of such parts and components can be especially troubling. For example, removable awning ribs or bows are often long, fragile, and hard to store. This is especially problematic on RV""s where storage space is especially limited.
Other attempts to address this problem are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,214, issued Apr. 22, 1997 to Baka, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,352, issued Dec. 29, 1992 to Murray, et al. The Baka patent describes a roller tube rotatably attached to the wall of the trailer and a lead rail extending from the wall and supported by support arms, the lead rail extending the awning and a pair of telescoping rafters pivotally mounted to the wall. Among other design limitations, the rafters in the Baka patent are not arched or bowed and are not hinged or pivotally connected at the middle of the rafter.
The Murray patent describes a roller tube extending from the wall of the trailer to extend the awning, having a single rafter which has two sections pivotally connected and which is stored in a recess in the roller tube. In addition to other design limitations, the rafter in the Murray patent, however, is not bowed or arched, but substantially straight. The rafter is not pivotally connected to the roller tube, but has a cylindrical anchor slidable in the recess and a pin at the end of the rafter that must be inserted in a bore defined in the cylindrical anchor using a washer. The rafter is, apparently, not collapsed for storage in the roller tube, but is fully extended, as the rafter includes a gas spring at the opposite end, which attaches to a bracket by means of a notch in the end of the rafter which mates with a bar on the brackets, the gas spring extending to straighten the rafter and lock the pivotally connected ends of the rafter. Finally, there is only one rafter, which is not sufficient to support awnings having a length of sixteen to twenty four feet.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, describes, teaches, or suggests the instant invention as claimed.
From the foregoing it may be appreciated that a need has arisen for a retractable awning and method that provides an awning with retractable ribs or support members that can be easily, conveniently, and quickly setup and assembled and taken down without the need to separately store the retractable ribs. In accordance with the present invention, a retractable awning and method are provided that substantially eliminate one or more of the disadvantages and problems outlined above.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a retractable awning is provided that may be mounted to a structure, such as a house trailer, recreational vehicle, house, porch, patio, building, house and the like to provide shade and protection from the elements. The retractable awning includes a roller tube assembly, a covering, and support arms.
The roller tube assembly includes a roller tube and a retractable rib. The roller tube has a first end, a second end, and a rib storage groove operable to receive and store the retractable rib so that the retractable rib may couple with the roller tube and extend from a retracted position, at least partially within the rib storage groove, to an extended position. The retractable rib may have an upward arch or bend when in its extended position. Because the retractable rib can be stored in the rib storage groove, it need not be stored separately from the retractable awning when the awning is in a retracted or stored position.
The covering couples between the structure and the roller tube assembly and may be supported by the retractable rib when open. The support arms couple between the first and second end of the roller tube, respectively, and the support.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing or assembling a retractable awning is also provided.
The present invention provides a profusion of technical advantages that include the capability to easily, conveniently, and quickly setup, assemble, and taken down the retractable awning without the need to separately store the retractable ribs. This eliminates the frustration of lost ribs and saves much needed storage room, especially in vehicles such as RVs.
Another technical advantage of the present invention includes the capability to easily retract or close the awning for storage. Stored rotational or potential energy will allow virtually anyone, regardless of size or strength, to transition the retractable awning from an extended or open position to a retracted or closed position.
The present invention also provides the significant technical advantage of conveniently providing lighting, such as string lights or rope lighting that do not present a safety hazard like outdoor lanterns and lights. These lights do not have to be unplugged and setup and remain with the retractable awning when it is both retracted or stored and when it is extended or open.
Yet another technical advantage of the present invention includes the capability to include not only a rib storage groove or channel in a roller tube, but also a covering mounting groove, a lighting mounting groove, and an auxiliary mounting groove. The auxiliary mounting groove allows a material to be draped from the roller tube and allows a string or rope to be rolled with the covering when retracted or stored to allow for easy opening of the retractable awning using the string or rope.
Still yet another technical advantage of the present invention includes the capability to include support arms that each include an arm and a side rafter that store flat, thus increasing overall convenience and safety. The side rafter may position within an opening, channel, or area formed in the back of the arm when the retractable awning is in a stored or retracted position. This flat storage significantly increases safety by reducing the chance of accidently bumping into the stored awning.
Yet another technical advantage of the present invention includes arched or bowed retractable ribs that provide an arched support to the covering prevent the covering from sagging. This prevents water and other substances from pooling on the upper surface of the covering.
Another technical advantage of the present invention includes retractable ribs that are adjustable in length. This allows for the arched support provided to the covering to be varied as desired and allows for the accommodation of awnings of different sizes and to allow the covering to be opened or extended partially or not to its full extent.
Other technical advantages are readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, description, and claims.